Published: Friday, April 5, 2013 at 8:21 p.m.

Last Modified: Saturday, April 6, 2013 at 8:41 p.m.

Practice for the New Smyrna Beach Balloon and Skyfest at New Smyrna Beach Airport, Friday, April 5, 2013.

News-Journal / Nigel Cook

The deluge eventually dissipated. The high winds that accompanied the downpour, however, never did.

And with that, organizers made the call just before 6 p.m. to close the event down for the night and hope for better weather Saturday and Sunday.

The downright blustery conditions on Friday had already canceled a planned balloon glow while a low cloud ceiling grounded the night air show.

The cloud ceiling was 900 feet and the aerial stunt shows need a minimum of 2,500 feet, said Dr. Arlen Stauffer, chairman of the Balloon & Sky Fest.

"We can control a lot of things, but we can't control the weather," he said.

The forecast for Saturday looks better with mostly sunny skies and a high near 72 degrees. However, the National Weather Service forecast also predicts winds of 10 to 15 mph with gusts as high as 25mph.

Those conditions could play havoc with today's hot-air balloon passenger flights for sunrise.

Gates open at 7 a.m. The list of events includes day and night air shows as well as a balloon glow. Balloons, however, cannot inflate if the winds are more than 8 mph.

"As we always say, it depends on the winds," Stauffer said. "The balloons are very sensitive."

The high winds Friday left vendors clinging desperately to their tents to keep them grounded and caused spectators to head back to their vehicles to retrieve their jackets as temperatures plummeted.

"This is one of those freak things that happens in Florida," said David Burt, executive director of the Balloon & Sky Fest Foundation.

One of the stunt acts slated to be part of tonight's attractions is a jet-powered school bus that can reach speeds of more than 300 mph. The machine's builder and driver, Paul Stender, was raring to go before Friday's show was canceled and said winds don't much affect the bus's performance.

Powered by an engine that's found in an F-16 fighter jet, the bus belches up to 80 feet of flame.

"It will actually set the asphalt on fire if you sit in one spot too long," Stender said.

Stender also brought a jet-powered outhouse that reaches up to 60 mph.

"I sit on the toilet seat and drive that, too," he said. "A seat belt on a toilet seat is really weird."

Anyone who was stamped for Friday's Balloon & Sky Fest — and the mark is still visible — will be allowed into the event Saturday without an admission charge.

"We're ready to go (Saturday)," Burt said. "The show must go on."

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